Mobile World Congress—or simply MWC—isn’t one among our favourite commerce exhibits simply because it’s located in the stunning metropolis of Barcelona throughout a seasonally acceptable time of yr. (Cheap cava and tapas don’t have something to do with it both.) No, this present is a favourite as a result of it’s one among the best to navigate, and there’s all the time loads of fascinating, enjoyable, or simply plain loopy tech to scavenge via.
This yr, such bounty contains clear laptops, bendable telephones, a Barbie flip telephone, and extra. Here are the highlights.
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HMD Rebrands (Sort of) and Teases a Barbie Phone
HMD was presupposed to be the rebirth of Nokia telephones again when it made a splash at MWC 2017, nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the firm misplaced steam and it was clear that the Nokia model identify wouldn’t actually compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple anymore. HMD as an alternative put its give attention to price range Android telephones over the previous few years and its function telephone enterprise. At MWC, it introduced that 2023 was the firm’s first worthwhile yr, and now it’s attempting to alter issues up with a rebrand. First is the identify—it’s leaning extra on “Human Mobile Devices” (the full model of its acronym) as an alternative of HMD. This yr’s lineup of gadgets will embody an HMD telephone, an iconic Nokia telephone, plus a Barbie flip telephone.
Yep, you heard that proper. HMD is collaborating with Mattel to launch a Barbie function flip telephone. It’ll be coming this summer time, will clearly be pink, and is being touted as a digital detox gadget. That’s all we all know. The solely photos of all the teased telephones had been pixelated.
What we do learn about HMD’s different telephone is that it’ll revolve round a system known as HMD Fusion. Similar to Motorola’s Moto Mods or Google’s long-lost Project Ara, it seems like a system of modular parts that builders can construct for the smartphone, from an prolonged battery and a barcode scanner to a fee terminal to medical gear. It launched a toolkit that builders can use to get began.
HMD additionally had an enormous give attention to repairability—it expects half of its gadgets launched globally this yr to be repairable. But this summer time, it says it should have a system that dramatically reduces the variety of steps it takes to repair a cracked display.
Motorola Bends a Phone, and Debuts Smart Connect
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Late final yr at Lenovo’s Tech World occasion, Motorola unveiled a bendable idea telephone known as the Adaptive Display. I bought an opportunity to mess around with it at MWC. It appears and seems like its Razr folding telephones, besides as an alternative of getting a hinge that snaps the telephone closed exactly in half, you’ll be able to bend the entire factor backward.